From 2009 to 2010, David Aardsma saved 69 games for Seattle. Then he tore the labrum in his hip before the 2011 season. During his rehabilitation, he injured his right elbow, which required Tommy John surgery. The Yankees acquired him on a two-year deal last February, with the hope Aardsma could contribute to their bullpen in 2013.

Aardsma recently sat down with The Star-Ledger to discuss his injury history, his frustration with so many years lost to rehab and his hopes for 2013:

1. You injured your elbow while hurrying back after labrum surgery heading into 2011. What happened there?

"I wanted to get back. I wanted to get back on the field. I felt good. I felt healthy. My arm felt great. I wanted to get back. There wasn’t anything stopping me until the arm injury. But that’s what happens when you don’t take your time."

2. Did you feel your arm give on one pitch?

"I felt it after an outing. I had done pitching (on a rehab assignment) in (Triple-A) Tacoma. And then my whole elbow got really tight. And then it went away, and I kept pitching. And then I threw probably six times, but it got worse. It got tight. Then after the next game I threw, it got tight. And the next day it was a little tight. Then it got better. And then ... it just kind of progressed worse and worse and worse. Pretty soon, before a game I was throwing, it was tight."

3. How tough was it to experience injuries like this after finding a groove with the Mariners?

"It’s frustrating to deal with. You establish yourself. You hit your spot in your career where you feel comfortable. Everything’s all-go. And then everything falls apart at one time. It’s frustrating. It’s not fun. Those are the type of things that keep you up at night. I think about it all the time. I finally hit my stride. I finally hit my point in my career where everything came together. And then the injuries came."

4. What did the hip injury feel like?

"It was just miserable. Absolutely miserable. It felt like a knife going into my side every pitch. ... I pitched through it, basically just throwing as hard as I could every pitch. It was on adrenaline."

5. I’m sure it’s fun re-living all this.

"It’s a blast (Aardsma flashes a wry grin). It’s been a couple years talking about it."

6. Is it a little different for you showing up in spring having to win a job?

"No. I’ve only gone one season, having a job. In my entire career."

7. But you were a closer.

"But I had to make the team (first in 2009). Then things fell together where I became a closer. I didn’t have a job. I got designated for assignment by the Red Sox, and they traded me to Seattle. And I still had to earn everything. And it’s no different here."

8. Was there any reason in particular you were able to have success in Seattle, having been traded four times before then?

"Nothing. It was just timing. The year before with Boston, I actually had a really good year going (2.88 ERA on Aug. 10). I pulled my groin muscle, and tried to pitch through it, and gave up a lot of runs in a very short period of time (and finished with a 5.55 ERA)."

9. Did you expect the Yankees to pick up your option after 2012?

"I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t want to sit back and expect anything. I knew they had the option. I knew I had done everything I could from my side to give them the chance of picking me up. It was just a waiting game. It was nice to hear, the very first day they could, they did sign me back."